2000

Our very first reunion and it was absolutely wonderful!  There were 37 seven people present.  There was so much joy in being together again after so many years and lots of sadness too for those who weren't able to be with us.  It was just a plain, simple gathering, no outside lights, no beer buffalo, no tents.  Just people getting to know each other all over again.  This reunion was only for 3 days and two nights.  We sat out in lawn chairs and listened to John Costello and Hank Oliver play and sing by flashlight.  The meals were simple and the weather was wonderful.  For those of us who were there, it was the best reunion ever.

2001

We had a larger crowd at this one, with 99 people attending.  The Wall of Honor was fastened to some stakes this year instead of being tacked to a cabin wall.  This was the first year we had the folks from MCLB come up and join us.  We had a lighted tent, beer buffalo, and some actual tables and chairs!  All the cooking was done field mess style.  We were saddened by the thought that Ron "Doc" Parlee, who was with us last year, has passed on.  He will be missed.  We had rain this year on Saturday but it quit long enough for the ceremony. 

2002

There was such a big crowd this year we had to begin using the Layfayette Garden Inn for the overflo.  There were 149 people there.  We had all the things we had last year except the tent was larger and we had a small brass band from MCLB to come up and play for us during the ceremony.  The color guard, bugler, and Chaplain Richards came back also.  The weather didn't cooperate at all.  There were cold nights, cool days, and rain on Friday and Saturday.  The rain did stop long enough for the ceremony.  It was still a good reunion.

2006

We had the most beautiful weather for this reunion.  Almost as good as in 2000.  There were 289 good folks attending.  There were several changes made this year.  The marina owners have been working hard to make improvements and we had a better place to put up the tent.  We moved the Wall of Honor to the old tent site, which makes it more visible.  We have lost five people this past year due to various illnesses.  We will miss them a lot.  George & his band came back and so did the MLCB people. 

2003

We must have been doing something right as we were booked up at the marina by the end of August 2002.  We had 246 people to attend this reunion.  The tent set-up grew in size and number.  This was the first year we had a raffle.  It was a lot of fun and a big success.  We also had another first, a professional photographer.  Tim McLaine of Fast Photo came down to take photos for us.  Our friends from MCLB came back again to be with us for the ceremony.  It rained on Thursday but was beautiful the rest of the time.

2005

The weather was not good this year.  We had a flood on Friday!  It poured rain from after lunch until well into the afternoon.  It did clear up for Saturday, it always seems too, and everything went off without a hitch.  We had 240 in attendance this year and we were very glad to see them all.  We found out right before the reunion that the marina was changing hands.  Danny & Kris Ellrich are the new owners.  There was a brand-new Wall of Honor this year made by Valorie Steele.  It is beautiful.  The new chaplain came up with the MCLB marines.  His name is Anthony Headrick and he is a very nice person.

2007

The weather was perfect this year!  The marina is still undergoing lots of changes as it becomes more of a family type place.  We had the same tent set-up that we've had the last few years.  We now have four pavilions for people to gather under.  The bugler, color guard, and brass quartet came back from MCLB, as well as Chaplain Headrick.  It seems that this will be his last year with us.  He is transferring to California.  George and his band were back.  Sgt. Maj. Glen Wright was unable to be with us as he has been sick most of the year.

This was a great reunion and we're going to host it one more year. 

2004

Our numbers this year were 241 people.  We had more women and children this year than we've ever had before.  This was the first year we had a live band.  A local man, George Britt, came and brought his band down to play for us.  We found out also that Chaplain Richards was going to retire before next year.  We really will miss him and we look forward to meeting the new chaplain.  Cpl. Jeremy Thompson, who has just recently returned from Iraq, placed the new PUC on the battalion colors during the ceremony.  We had some great weather, with just a few light showers, and we all had a great time.

To view reunion photos please click on the year you wish to see.

 

 

All photo pages should open in a new window. 

2008

Reunion 2008 is now over and, from all accounts, was a great success!  It was the last one that we will host and the last one at Highland Marina.  We have been talking to some people and we hope that someone will make the arrangements to host it somewhere else.  If that happens to be the case we will let you know.  The photo link is at the bottom of the page.  Photos will be added as time permits.   We had some rain this year especially on Thursday!  It rained all day and some people took home some of our red Georgia clay on their clothing and shoes!  They will have this "souvenir" as long as they keep those items.  Saturday was a great day though! We honored two of our KIA's this year, Dwight W. Carroll from India company & Blake E. Aston from Mike company.  The Brass Quintet, the Color Guard, Chaplain Ranard, Col. Haliday, and Sgt. Maj. Kennedy came up from Albany to help us out again this year.  Joe Dodson played the bagpipes for us and George Britt was in charge of the songs.  It was a wonderful and moving ceremony.Saturday evening we had the raffle & auction. This is always a success! We had bingo games on Friday and that was fun too.  As for the food, our cooks did a great job again this year.  We can't thank them enough for what they do, the kitchen helpers too.  The helpers did a everyone a great service buy doing the grunt work that no one really wants to do.  Thank you all again from the bottom of our hearts!  There will be another reunion, at least one more, but it will be different and in a different place.  For more details send the Reunion 2009 page.